The Tampa Bay Rays stayed alive in the World Series on Tuesday night in St. Petersburg, Florida, beating the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 in 12 innings. The Rays Brewers contest ended when pinch hitter Ben Williamson singled home the winning run in the bottom of the 12th, after Milwaukee had moved ahead in the top of the inning. Tampa Bay still trails in the best of seven series, with Milwaukee holding a 3-1 lead, but the win forced a Game 5 at Tropicana Field on Wednesday night.
Williamson had waited about five innings before his turn arrived, according to manager Kevin Cash, and he entered with the bases loaded and nobody out. Milwaukee had drawn its infield in and used five infielders for the play. Williamson chopped a ball over first baseman Jake Bauers and into right field, and the Rays poured out of the dugout as the winning run scored. Cash said Williamson is strong at making contact against a tough left handed pitcher. The Rays Brewers series had reached a point where one more Milwaukee win would end it.
Rays Brewers Game 4 turns in the 12th inning
Cooper Pratt gave Milwaukee the lead in the top of the 12th with a solo home run off Tampa Bay reliever Ian Seymour. Pratt hit the ball with nobody out, and the Brewers moved ahead 3-2. The Rays Brewers matchup had been tied at 2-2 since the fifth inning, and the home run put Milwaukee within three outs of its first World Series title.
Tampa Bay replied in the bottom half after an error opened the inning. Junior Caminero reached first when third baseman Joey Ortiz threw wildly on his leadoff grounder. Liam Hicks singled, and Jonny DeLuca followed with a single to center field that scored pinch runner Cedric Mullins and tied the score at 3-3. Chandler Simpson then singled to load the bases, which set up Williamson against Milwaukee reliever Shane Drohan.
Rays Brewers scoring stayed tight until late
The Rays Brewers scoring began in the second inning, when Simpson doubled to right field and drove in DeLuca for a 1-0 lead. Milwaukee tied the score in the fourth, when Pratt doubled and Frelick scored from second base. Tampa Bay moved ahead again in the bottom of the fourth, when Caminero scored as DeLuca reached on a fielder’s choice and an error followed the play.
Milwaukee tied the score at 2-2 in the fifth, when David Hamilton hit a solo home run. Neither team scored again through the ninth, tenth or eleventh innings, even though Milwaukee threatened in the ninth. Pratt reached base with one out in that inning, and Garrett Mitchell hit a ball deep to left field that Simpson tracked down to prevent damage. Pratt then tried to steal second base and was ruled out on a close play, which ended the threat with the score still tied.
Rays Brewers Game 5 comes next in Tampa Bay
Game 5 is scheduled for Wednesday night at Tropicana Field, with Jacob Misiorowski set to start for Milwaukee. Cash had not named a Tampa Bay starter when reports of the Game 4 result were published. The Rays Brewers series will stay in Tampa Bay for that game, and Milwaukee will have another chance to close out the series and win the first championship in franchise history, while Tampa Bay, which is also seeking a first title, must win again to send the series back to Milwaukee for a sixth game.
The Rays Brewers result made Tampa Bay the fifth team out of 26 to fall behind 3-0 in a World Series and still win Game 4. The previous four teams in that position all lost Game 5, according to Associated Press reporting of the series history. Of 43 teams to trail 3-0 in any best of seven postseason series, only the 2004 Boston Red Sox, against the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series, came back to win the series.
In the Rays Brewers series, the loss ended an eight game winning run for Milwaukee in the postseason. For Tampa Bay, the win kept alive a season that had reached the World Series from the American League side of the bracket.